Speech-to-online-text system

ABSTRACT

Speech-to-text software, sometimes known as dictation software, is software that lets you talk to the computer in some form and have the computer react appropriately to what you are saying. This is totally different to text-to-speech software, which is software can read out text already in the computer. Speech-to-online-text software allows you to speak words into the webpage of an Internet capable device. Speech-to-online-text software will also support the capabilities provided by speech-to-text software. The hardware required to support this technology is an Internet capable device and a compatible microphone. This capability will be especially useful for communicating in different languages and dialects around the world.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent is related to a Nonprovisional Patent Application(application Ser. No. 13/199,061).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Synchronous distance learning occurs when the teacher and his/her pupilsinteract in different places at the same time. Students enrolled insynchronous courses are generally required to log on to their computerduring a set time at least once a week. Synchronous distance learningmay include multimedia components such as group chats, web seminars,video conferencing, and phone call-ins. Generally, synchronous learningworks best for students who can schedule set clays and times for theirstudies. It is often preferred by those who like structured coursesheavy on student interaction. As we all know, the online environment istext-based. Communication with an instructor and other students in anonline classroom requires the participants to type messages and postresponses. For many students, typing is slower than writing. However,for all students, typing is slower than speaking. The point is that youwill likely learn more in an online classroom environment, but you willhave to make a greater effort to accomplish that learning.

Online tutoring services cover a wide spectrum of capabilities. Some arelegitimate, with tutors who are interested in helping a student learnthe material on their own. Other sites provide answers to homeworkproblems with no explanations given. It is sites like these that haveteachers worried about the value of the help they offer. There arequick-fix sites with little quality control or real concern about astudent's education. Independent research shows a tremendous increase insupplemental academic learning services. With standards falling in manyschools and competition fierce for college entry, more parents andstudents are turning to private tutors for assistance. There is agrowing need for parents to access the best private tutors for aparticular subject, no matter the location.

The online tutoring space, for example, can potentially use thistechnology to communicate symbolic representations specific to variouseducational subjects (such as math, chemistry, physics, etc.). The word‘pi’ can be communicated via a microphone and appear as π on a websitefor those who tutor in mathematics. In chemistry, the symbols of achemical element are abbreviations that are used to denote a chemicalelement. A chemistry tutor using this technology can communicateelements from a periodic table into a microphone and the correspondingsymbol could appear on the tutoring site.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Online tutoring services that use digital ‘whiteboards’ to show work andexplain how to solve problems are likely to be a much better long-termsolution than email help services. There exists a potential opportunityfor online educators and tutors to take advantage of thespeech-to-online-text technology. Speech-to-online-text technology willallow people to capture and store everything that one handwrites on a PCor MAC. This solution will provide a culture of environmentalresponsibility since less natural resources are consumed. Thiscapability would eliminate the need for private tutors to travel totheir clients to do face to face discussions. This potentially meansless vehicles on the road acting on behalf of educational service, whichin turn supports the green initiative. Tutoring sessions will have audioand video capabilities as well as an online whiteboard that appears as aresult of internal/external speech-to-online-text software. The onlinehandwriting capability can be accessible to both the tutor and theperson being tutored. Students will have the ability to rate the tutors.More importantly, private tutors around the world could be madeavailable to give a child the best opportunity to succeed in theirstudies. Speech-to-online-text technology could also prove beneficial toother industries as well. Physicians, for example, could communicatetheir prescriptions on a webpage and have it readily available for apharmacist to read. Internet savvy people who lack typing skills can nowcommunicate their text onto a webpage and reach out to a long lostfriend thousands of miles away. In the audio/visual industry, there hasbeen a huge uptake of computer-based audio-visual equipment in theeducation sector, with many schools and higher educationalestablishments installing projection equipment. The application ofaudiovisual systems is found in collaborative conferencing (whichincludes video-conferencing, audio-conferencing, web-conferencing anddata-conferencing); presentation rooms, auditoria, and lecture halls;command and control centers; digital signage, and more. Concerts andcorporate events are among the most obvious venues where audiovisualequipment is used in a staged environment. This invention would thus bereadily compatible with Automatic Message Exchange (AMX) and Crestroncontrol panels. Finally, there is the possibility of communicatingtexted messages using any Internet supported device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1A in the replacement drawings represents the logical softwaredevice comprising the internal hard drive of any electronic device thatuses the speech-to-online-text software. Data 1 and Data 2 comprise thecommunication interface between the internal hard drive and thespeech-to-online-text software.

FIG. 1B in the replacement drawings represents the logical softwaredevice comprising any word processor on the hard drive of any electronicdevice that uses the speech-to-online-text software. Data 3 and Data 4comprise the communication interface between the word processor and thespeech-to-online-text software.

FIG. 1C in the replacement drawings represents the logical softwaredevice comprising the external hard drive of any electronic device thatuses the speech-to-online-text software. Data 5 and Data 6 comprise thecommunication interface between the external hard drive and thespeech-to-online-text software.

FIG. 1D in the replacement drawings represents the logical softwaredevice comprising an internet/intranet supported webpage on anyelectronic device that uses the speech-to-online-text software. Data 7and Data 8 comprise the communication interface between theinternet/intranet supported webpage and the speech-to-online-textsoftware.

FIG. 1E in the replacement drawings represents the logical softwaredevice comprising the speech-to-online-text. The speech-to-online-textand the internal hard drive (FIG. 1A of the replacement drawings)communicate with each other via the interface represented by Data 1 andData 2. The speech-to-online-text and the word processor (FIG. 1B of thereplacement drawings) communicate with each other via the interfacerepresented by Data 3 and Data 4. The speech-to-online-text and theexternal hard drive (FIG. 1C of the replacement drawings) communicatewith each other via the interface represented by Data 5 and Data 6. Thespeech-to-online-text and the internet/intranet supported webpage (FIG.1C of the replacement drawings) communicate with each other via theinterface represented by Data 7 and Data 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Data 1 and Data 2: The speech-to-online-text system must support theflow of data between itself and the logical software device comprisingthe internal hard drive. The speech-to-online-text software must bestored on the internal hard drive, and, upon activation of thespeech-to-online-text software, must be able to communicate with aspeech-to-online-text supported webpage. There will be some handshakingprotocol that will ensure that the speech-to-online-text software storedon the internal hard drive is not corrupted. Furthermore,speech-to-online-text software upgrades may be downloaded to theinternal hard drive as well.

Data 3 and Data 4: The speech-to-online-text system must support theflow of data between itself and any word processors on the hard drivecontaining the speech-to-online-text software.

Data 5 and Data 6: The speech-to-online-text system must support theflow of data between itself and the logical software device comprisingthe external hard drive. Depending on the external hard drive space, thespeech-to-online-text software can be stored on the external hard driveand, upon activation of the speech-to-online-text software, must be ableto communicate with a speech-to-online-text supported webpage. Therewill be some handshaking protocol that will ensure that thespeech-to-online-text software stored on the external hard drive is notcorrupted. Furthermore, speech-to-online-text software upgrades may bedownloaded to the external hard drive as well. The external hard drivecould also be represented by a thumb drive, a printer, a scanner, adigital writing pad, cellphone, PDA, or a mouse.

Data 7 and Data 8: The speech-to-online-text system must support theflow of data between itself and any internet/intranet supported webpage.

1. A logical software device representing the software that enables thespeech-to-online-text technology
 2. The interface between the logicalsoftware device recited in claim 1 and a word processor on anyinternet/intranet supported electronic device supporting the WBWS (i.e.Windows based electronic device, Apple product, Linux supported product,PDA, cellphone, or any device with a derivative operating system)
 3. Theinterface between the logical software device recited in claim 1 and thedata network that comprises the Internet
 4. The interface between thelogical software device recited in claim 1 and the data network thatcomprises an Intranet
 5. The interface between the logical softwaredevice recited in claim 1 and the logical software device representingthe internal hard drive of any internet/intranet supported electronicdevice (i.e. Windows based electronic device, any Apple product, Linuxsupported product, Linux, PDA, cellphone, or any device with aderivative operating system)
 6. The interface between the logicalsoftware device recited in claim 1 and the logical software devicerepresenting ANY external hard drive connected to any internet/intranetsupported electronic device supporting the WBWS (i.e. Windows basedelectronic device, any Apple product, Linux supported product, PDA,cellphone, or any device with a derivative operating system)